Jicko's Fear
When Shezu's back finally made contact with the soft mattress of her bed in the hut given to them by the Trunali to sleep in she had no desire to get up again. Letting the air run out of her lungs, she just laid there for a moment, not even bothering to pull her hair out of her face. She was tired, more than usual after a long day and she wasn't the only one. It didn't matter if she had her eyes open or not; with the curtain closed, it was too dark inside the hut to see anything. Their enhanced vision allowed them to see something, albeit the vague silhouettes representing her brothers and sisters but she was too tired to even try. She couldn't even cobble up the strength to lift her tail and use it to express her annoyance over the sore feeling in her muscles. Jetréycka had really pushed them to their limits and it was as if the young Mantrinesse and mother of two children had tried to teach them everything she taught her own children in just one day. Washing, cooking, preparing the food for the evening meal they just had and much more. She had even taught them how the Trunali made their clothes and let them try for themselves, without much success however. They had all been sucking their bleeding fingers after that exercise. The needle, which was basically a worked bone splinter, somehow liked their flesh better than the patches of cloth it was supposed to go through.
"Once, but never again" Shezu thought, letting her breath escape through her nostrils with a snort.
Something tickled and made her sneeze, her muscles aching because of the sudden strain put on them. She had to admit however, she rather had the sore muscles instead of the headache that, fortunately, had stayed away so far. "This is no fun" Syndar complained, his head buried in his pillow. At least he still had the strength to hit the mattress with his fist. They were exhausted and Shezu feared that next day wouldn't be any different. And this time, it was getting up before the sun does and get to the lake early to take a quick bath. Not like yesterday. Jetréycka wouldn't like that and this time she was in the water with them and would drag them out by their tails if necessary.
"I'm tired" Fran said softly, unable to raise his voice above so much as a whisper.
It was almost silent inside the hut for a moment. The only sounds were the respiration of the children and the chirping insects outside. There were some indistinct voices in the distance from the hunters sitting around the fire but the children were too tired to try and listen to what they said. It was already difficult for them to keep their eyes open let alone to concentrate. After a moment Jicko finally said something, expressing his concern over a particular subject. He had been a little hesitant to throw it into the group but it was too important to keep it to himself.
"Hey guys, there is something I want to talk about" he said, rolling on his belly, resting his head on his arms.
"Are you still awake?"
His ears were able to filter out five different grumbles, growls or other sounds telling him that they were.
"I am a little afraid" he said with more than a hint of concern in his voice.
"Remember when Kenagi rescued us from those soldiers?"
He heard them making sounds that all sounded more or less like a 'hmm-hmm'.
"Well, I sensed something about them when they left. I sensed a great anger and great determination. I'm afraid that they will come back for us."
It remained painfully silent for a moment. They had all gotten the message, that was for sure but they were afraid that it was very much a possibility they had to consider. They were soldiers; they wouldn't give up so easily, especially since they were only children.
"Well, am I the only one?" Jicko asked when he didn't get a reply after some time.
To his astonishment, it was Reylyn who replied first.
"Well, if they come we will knock them on their heads with stones so that they are unconscious and then we will force them to take us to our daddy and Reyan and Eyza and then he will get us all out of there. And then we can go back to being a family again."
Pynch made a sound that resembled a laugh.
"Reylyn, how can you force them to take us to daddy if they are unconscious?"
"Oh" his sister said, seeing the logic in that.
"Then we will take it from their minds. I'm sure Kenagi will help us."
"No" Shezu finally meddled in the matter.
"If they come we have to go. We cannot let these good people get involved. I'm afraid they will get hurt trying to protect us. We can't let that happen."
They all listened carefully to Shezu's words, slowly realizing that she was right. They couldn't let something happen to the members of Kenagi's tribe. He was their friend. He trusted them and they trusted him.
"You're right, I guess" Reylyn said, surrendering, dropping her head down on her pillow.
"But where do we go?" Syndar asked, afraid that they had to go back into the forest again, without protection, without a warm bed, all alone in the cold dark night.
"I guess we just have to find another place to stay" Shezu replied with sigh, not wanting to think about it now.
She was afraid that if they'd come this night, she wouldn't even be able to stand up and run.
"I'm sorry. It's all my fault" she said with something Jicko recognized as a sob.
"In what way?" he asked, feeling sorry for his sister.
She tried so hard and now she was blaming herself for everything that went wrong. Reclaiming the energy he needed to get up he got on his knees, grabbed his pillow and crawled towards his sister.
"It's not your fault Shezu" he said, hovering above her, touching his hand to her cheek, feeling the wet trail left by a tear.
"It is" she replied sobbing.
"If I didn't get sick, we could have gotten out of there on our own. We could have run all at once, instead of leaving Eyza and Reyan behind. And they took them. And because of me they are in pain."
She was softly crying now, inconsolable, her words interrupted by sobs. Placing his pillow next to hers on the ground, he felt her making a little room for him. Whispering a few soothing words, wiping her tears away with his hand he snuggled up to her, resting his head on her shoulder. With her brother lying next to her, comforting her with his presence, it didn't take long before she and the rest of the group fell asleep.
The next morning, everything happened entirely different from the last time. Jetréycka was a very strict teacher and expected them to learn fast or 'die' so to speak. She had taken them to the lake early in the morning, when the first rays of the sun just peeked over the horizon to bathe with the rest of the females. She didn't tolerate them complaining about being naked in front of the rest of her tribe again and each time one of them opened his or her beak to do so was met by a warning look. This time they were only in the water to do the essential things, cleaning their bodies and in Shezu's case wash her hair.
"This is no play time. When you're done with your tasks for today, then you can play" she had said.
Despite being a bit strict, she was in no way unfriendly and still used her warmest voice. The children noticed that Jetréycka wasn't the only Mantrinesse in the tribe with children. Hers were very young but there were several others, their age ranging from no older than four or five to just around their age. Maybe they could even play with them, if Jetréycka allowed it, at the end of the day.
When they returned to the village it was time for everything they had missed yesterday. Part of the Mantrinesses had gone to the forest to start gathering fruit and vegetables while the others began to build the fires needed for cooking. Most of the males were preparing themselves for another exciting hunt and Kenagi was among them again, strapping his bow to his back and making sure there were enough arrows in his quiver. He greeted the children with a smile and winked.
"Hey, is everything all right?" he asked, spotting their not so happy faces.
"Oh, I see. Jetréycka is really pushing you hard isn't she?"
All six of them nodded. They were up for quite a challenge but he was confident, just like his father that they could do it.
"Are you going out hunting again?" Jicko asked curiously.
"I really wish I could see how you do it."
"How can you say that?" Reylyn replied indignantly, pushing her brother against his shoulder.
"It involves killing those innocent animals."
"Whoa, I thought you were over that" Jicko replied, a little shocked by his sister's reply.
"Maybe" Reylyn replied with a snort.
"But that doesn't mean I wanna see how they do it. That's horrible."
"I just wanna learn."
"When you're older" Kenagi said determinately.
From the look on his face and the tone of his voice, there was no way he was going to let any one of them go with him.
"The forest is filled with many dangers. There are animals that could seriously injure or kill one of you if they attack. Please, I don't want anything to happen to you."
"I understand" Jicko replied, a bit disappointed.
"Are only males allowed to hunt?" Pynch asked.
"Who are you calling male, little boy?" a really tough female, who had overheard the conversation grunted, stepping in front of the children.
She actually looked a bit frightening with those paintings on her angry face. Pynch recognized the female hunter as the Mantrinesse who had joined Kenagi in his stand against the soldiers that night. She didn't appear to be very friendly and the way she glared down her muzzle at them, with her large well-built arms crossed made them do a step back. Somehow, it seemed as if she was expecting a reply as she stood there, her foot claws ploughing into the soft grass, lashing her tail. She had her bow strapped to her back just like Kenagi and was ready to put her skills as a hunter to the test again.
"Don't listen to Arojah" Kenagi said, throwing a glance in her direction.
"She's always this cranky but she won't hurt you."
"Hmph, don't be so sure of that" the female hunter growled, turning around to join the other hunters.
"Arojah is actually one of our best" Kenagi said, staring at her back.
"Not so long ago, only the males used to hunt indeed but there have been some changes" he explained.
"If a female can prove herself in front of the rest and convince them that she's good enough to become a hunter she's allowed to organize her first hunt. If she succeeds and the hunt is a success, she will become a hunter apprentice just like any other hunter."
"Sounds like an intense training" Jicko replied, intrigued by Kenagi's words.
It looked appealing to him in some way. He could understand why he was excited about it. Kenagi nodded.
"I am still an apprentice too. My hunt from yesterday was a success. That was my fourth time. Only one more time and then I become a true hunter and a respected member of the group."
One of the older males gave a signal, indicating that they were about to begin.
"Well, gotta go" Kenagi said enthusiastically, tensing and relaxing the strong muscles in his arms.
"Good luck Kenagi" Jicko said, waving his hand as the young hunter joined the others.
"To a good hunt" Kenagi replied, raising a thumb before he disappeared into the dense forest surrounding the village.
Immediately after that the voice of Jetréycka sounded behind them, signaling that it was time to begin their 'lessons'. However they were a bit surprised by the mysterious smile playing on her lips when she signaled them to come.
"What is it Jetréycka?" Fran asked.
"I've got something for you" she said quietly, guiding them to the hut she shared with her mate and two young children.
"I hope you like it. I and several other Mantrinesses have worked hard yesterday and part of the night to finish them."
Sliding the curtain aside, she entered first. Jetréycka's hut was beautifully decorated, the inside as well as the outside. It was a bit dark but it didn't take long for them to notice what she was talking about. Clothes, in the same style as her people wore during the day, one set for each child hung on a piece of string attached to the walls of the dwelling. They were all different but made from the same colorful patches of cloth. Jetréycka was actually a bit proud of the hard work she had put in them with the other females and she hoped the children would like them. Their enthusiastic first reaction made her smile, glad that they seemed to like it.
"Which one is mine?" was the first question asked and she hadn't really thought about that.
They had made the clothes more or less based on the race of each child, which would give some indication of their size. Reylyn and Fran were a bit smaller than the rest, although the Goureg boy would be a lot bigger than his sister when he reached his full height. For the rest, there were only minor differences between the children. Jicko and Pynch were both Talocaan and Shezu and Syndar were also about roughly the same size. When they began to realize the minor differences between the clothes, the children began to switch until they each had a favorite.
"It doesn't really matter" Jetréycka said.
"But these two are indeed for you" she said to Fran and Reylyn, pointing at the two smaller ones on the left.
"Okay" Reylyn laughed, liking the colors on hers.
For a moment they were standing there, almost motionless, until they turned around. Jetréycka knew what it meant before they had the chance to open their mouth.
"Okay, I know what that means" she said leaving her hut.
"But hurry up a little. There's much to do."
Closing the curtain, standing guard in front of her hut she let them change clothes.
"How do you put this on?" it sounded from inside after a few moments.
"You don't want me to see you naked, so I'm not going to help you" she quipped, without even looking over her shoulder.
It was quite simple actually. The collection of cloth patches was simply draped over all the parts of the body that needed to be covered and hung over the left shoulder. Their wasn't even a single button, stud or 'zipper' as they called them.
"Please Jetréycka?" one of them asked with the sweetest possible voice.
She let out a sigh and reentered her hut to find them covering the space between their legs with their pants. They were really ashamed to appear naked in front of anyone. She shook her head but decided not to bring up that particular subject again.
"All right. I'll show it to you one time and one time only. After that, I expect you to do by yourself from now on."
"Do it with me" Syndar nagged.
"No no, just pay attention."
Without warning, Jetréycka began to undress, unwrapping her clothes until she was standing in front of them, her whole body exposed. She frowned, letting go of another sigh.
"If you don't look you still don't know how to do it" she grumbled, tapping her foot on the ground.
"But, but…"
"Here I go" she simply said, forcing them to look if they didn't want to run around naked for the rest of their lives.
"You start with your left shoulder…" she said, throwing one end of the wrapping over her shoulder.
"Then you move down, between your legs, around your left leg…"
"The other one…"
She did it very slowly and she watched as the children began to follow her instructions as soon as her genital slit was covered.
"Around your waist…"
She did that twice, the second time folding the cloth under the other to tighten it a bit. It couldn't suddenly slip off that way.
"And then you finish…" she said throwing the last end over her left shoulder, so that it covered her breasts.
A few seconds later the children finished as well. So far they did an adequate job. She helped some of them to get it more comfortable but they needed little correction.
"Well, that wasn't so hard was it?"
"Uh-huh" they all murmured shaking no.
"It feels a bit weird" Fran said, walking a few steps.
It was remarkable how well these things stayed put. He didn't have the feeling that they could slip off or something like that.
"You'll get used to that" Jetréycka said, collecting the children's dirty clothes.
"Let's go" she urged, walking out of the hut with the shirts and pants in her arms.
"What are you going to do with that?" Shezu asked when Jetréycka walked towards the center of the village.
"Burn them. They are dirty and torn and you have new clothes now. Clothes that are much more comfortable to wear. You can't wear these anymore."
"No! You can't do that!" Shezu yelled, trying to stop her.
"Why not?" Jetréycka replied, not really listening to her.
"Please give them back."
"Sorry but Ayi'kutan says that if you wanna be part of us, you have to dress like us."
"No! Give them back now!" Shezu yelled, stomping one of her feet.
"Listen little girl" Jetréycka said harshly, a trickle of anger slipping into her voice.
"When I say…"
Her voice trailed off when she turned around and looked directly into the girl's eyes. They flashed with an intense anger and she growled and bared her teeth at her. It actually frightened her a little. That intense stare, the hostile response, it felt different. It was as if Shezu was no longer the sweet girl she was just a few moments ago but an entirely different person. She was very angry and Jetréycka didn't dare to do one step closer to the fires behind her.
"Those clothes were given to me by my father. Those are the last things I still have from him."
She calmed down a little, now that she had Jetréycka listening but she was still angry. She didn't care that the other Mantrinesses around the fire were staring at her.
"I… I'm sorry" Jetréycka brought out, not sure what to say.
"I didn't know."
Shezu was a bit shocked by her own outburst, as she was now staring at her feet.
"I'm… sorry" she muttered under her breath.
Looking behind her, she saw that she had frightened her brothers and sisters as well. They were staring at her, as if they had just seen their sister turn into a monster and back again. They had seen a whole different side of her. That scary side that only showed itself when she got real angry. She was almost about to cry in shock until Jetréycka did another proposal.
"Please, then at least let me wash them for you and put them some place safe."
Shezu nodded, feeling ashamed.
"Why?" she thought.
She didn't like that other side of her either but it surfaced so quickly lately. It was there, deep inside her and when it came out it threatened to overwhelm her.
"You know what? I'll show you how we wash our clothes and then you can wash them yourselves. How does that sound?"
"That's a good idea" Reylyn said happily, joining Jetréycka.
The others did as well but Shezu was the last to follow. She knew it. They were afraid of her when she was like that. Right now, she wished she could just become invisible for the rest of the day. She didn't want others to see her like that but she had such trouble controlling her anger lately. The thought of her father and Eyza and Reyan was part of the cause. It was that dream that made it all worse. She didn't know if that dream was the past, the present or the near future. Either one of them would be bad because there was nothing she could do for now. She could only wait and hope that an opportunity presented itself.
"C'mon throw it to me!" Reylyn yelled, waving her hands, just managing to keep her head above water level.
After a long day of learning from Jetréycka, washing, cooking and making things like clothes, blankets and pillows but also tools and other useful things, the children thought it would never end. Their father had always told them that they were clever and learned so quickly but even their brains could reach an overload. But, as promised and after they finished their tasks for that day, they were allowed to play with the other children. The lake they used for bathing was an excellent playground and the water helped to keep their bodies cool a bit during their rough game of Kaloti, a native game invented by the children of the Trunali which was basically a form of water polo but without many actual rules. As long as it didn't involve the use of claws or pulling ears or tails to gain the upper hand over the opposing team it was allowed.
All the children were divided over two teams with six players each. Shezu, Reylyn and Syndar were in one team and Pynch, Jicko and Fran in the other. The other players in their teams were the children of the tribe members which were very happy that they had a few extra friends to play with. The goal of the game was simple. Each team had one player defending part of the shore. The other team had to get a small ball, made from a piece of hollowed-out fruit which was sealed so that it would float, into a circle marked by rope. There was no rule that said how to get the ball into the circle but the one player defending it should prevent that from happening at all costs as it would get the other team a point. At this very moment Shezu's team was one point ahead of the other but not for long as one of the other children, a boy named Yshtari lost the ball to Pynch who began swimming into the direction of her goal as fast as he could, with Reylyn and a girl named Wojé on his tail.
"Come and get me" the black Talocaan boy shouted with joy.
A little too early perhaps as his crossbreed sister blocked his path and forced him to toss the ball to one of his teammates. His aim however was a little off, but as Shezu noticed he did something a little unfair to the other children. By mentally giving it just the nudge it needed, it landed right into the hands of his teammate.
"Hey! You're using powers! That's no fair!" Shezu said, pulling her wet hair out of her face.
"Penalty for Pynch!" Reylyn yelled, pointing at her brother and sticking out her tongue.
"Why? He didn't do anything wrong" Wojé said.
For a moment Reylyn forgot that the Sogowan girl couldn't detect the use of their powers and was about to tell her their secret but fortunately Shezu was a little earlier and corrected the mistake before it was even made.
"Sorry, my mistake. Go on."
The game continued but it remained a neck-and-neck race. At the beginning it were mostly the tribe children scoring the points but they quickly got the hang of it and it didn't take long before they were able to match them. So caught up in their game, the excitement keeping her mind occupied, Shezu and her mentally gifted brothers and sisters sensed the danger too late. The scream for help snapped their attention out of the game and onto the approaching beast, they knew all too well. Four eyes, massive teeth and claws and a strong muscular body coated by a fine brown fur. This Vexatyr was smaller than the one they encountered but the large predator was still no match for any of them. For a brief moment Shezu was just as paralyzed as the poor girl defending their goal. Zebi was young and small for a girl her age and was almost about to lose consciousness, making her the easiest prey possible for that beast. Her breath came raggedly, silent tears running down her cheeks as she knew it could all be over soon. She had fallen on her bottom and had wanted to crawl backwards away from the animal but was nailed to her spot, too scared to move. The Vexathyr was preparing its attack, its head low to the ground, scraping its claws on the soil, growling.
"I can't let this happen" it flashed through Shezu's mind.
She was scared too. Her last encounter with one of these monsters nearly got her killed, despite her abilities and she wanted to avoid another encounter at all costs. But if she did nothing, that poor girl would be eaten alive in front of her eyes. She was caught between the devil and the deep sea. If she did nothing, Zebi would be killed while she could have prevented it. But if she did, then they would find out about her powers, with the possibility of turning the tribe against her and her brothers and sisters. She closed her eyes, begging for a solution from Kirliya herself. It didn't matter. She had to decide all by herself, but deep in her hearts, she had already chosen. Before it was too late, she jumped out of the water, ran towards Zebi and positioned herself between the Vexathyr and its prey.
"No Shezu!" Jicko yelled, the panic in his voice.
The animal growled, blinking its two pairs of eyes, switching targets. Shezu tried to swallow her fear and tossed a look over her shoulder. She was secretly glad that she had kept her new clothes on, because they still didn't want to be seen naked in front of others. They were dripping with water but at least she didn't have to face this creature completely nude.
"Please go" she said to the naked girl, who was crying softly.
"I'll protect you."
"But what about you? You'll be killed" Zebi sobbed, standing up, backing away slowly.
"Don't worry about me" she said, fixing her eyes on her opponent.
"So you want us?" she muttered under her breath.
"You have to get through me first" she said through clenched teeth.
"Shezu get out of there!" Reylyn whimpered.
"I'll get help" one of the boys of the tribe said, disappearing into the forest.
In the mean time, everyone got out of the water as fast as they could. Vexathyr's disliked water but despite that, they were not bad swimmers and when hungry enough wouldn't hesitate to get their feet wet. Blocking out everything happening around her, Shezu had only eye for the Vexathyr at the moment of its attack. She had only her mind to trust upon but that would be enough. It was as if everything happened in slow motion. The animal used its strong hind legs to begin the short sprint it used to jump its prey with. Fractions of seconds stretched itself out to what seemed like minutes to allow Shezu to prepare a lightning fast counterattack. She had to be quick, or it could cost her more than just her arm. The Vexathyr was very close to her now, opening its large wide beak with the long glistening teeth. The razor-sharp claws stretched themselves out to penetrate the flesh of the prey with a lethal strike.
But Shezu managed to stay just one step ahead of everything, having her counterattack in the palm of her left hand. A ball of concentrated psycho-kinetic energy, invisible to anyone without her special powers. But this time, she wouldn't repeat her mistake. Before the deadly claws could reach her, she brought up her right hand, using her fingers to bend her energy around the Vexathyr's throat. Despite the animal's considerable speed, the creature was brought to an instant stop by a powerful force only visible to the girl who had been its prey just a moment ago. Trapped in her death grip she heaved the creature off the ground, until its legs were no longer touching the soil. Kicking with its legs, gasping for air between distorted growls, the animal's four eyes began to bulge out of the sockets as its air supply was cut off by the energy squeezing its throat shut. Shezu just stared at it for a moment. She felt no desire to kill it actually. It was just an animal, listening to instinct and its empty stomach. They had to eat too. But then she remembered the pain. Although it was not the same animal, it had tried to kill her, tried to kill her brothers and sisters. She could feel the anger trying to escape again.
"Not this time" she hissed between clenched teeth.
Without further thought she launched the energy into the squirming and wriggling Vexathyr's face, which was more effective as she had learned from her brother Reyan. Blood splattered in all directions as bones cracked and arteries tore when splinters nailed the flesh. The attack was so powerful that the animal was launched backwards and crashed to the ground, lashing its claws, growling and roaring in excruciating pain. The other one could at least still walk away after Reyan's attack but this younger one, wasn't as tough. It didn't take long before it stopped resisting against the inevitable. Its last movements were the convulsions as bone splinters entering the frontal lobe causing intracerebral hemorrhage and an eventual death. Shezu was staring at the creature, slightly panting as she put quite a lot of energy in that attack, her hands still held up to defend herself if necessary. But the danger had passed. She was glad that it was over but at the same time, she felt something terrible deep inside her. She had killed. It may have been just an animal but she killed it. She didn't want to initially but something inside her somehow encouraged her to do it. It frightened her because she had felt something that was best described as delight. Taking a few deep breaths and she turned around but what she saw made her realize she had made a mistake, a terrible one.
They were staring at her, the fear in their eyes. And it weren't just the children from the tribe, but her brothers and sisters as well. They had never killed, for any reason, and she did, mercilessly. Nothing she said would change the fact that she had taken a life, no matter how insignificant. But it wasn't just that. It was the way she ended that animal's life. Yes, she had used her powers in front of everyone's eyes and that was something that astonished and frightened the children of the tribe at the same time but it was the cruel way of doing it. If they could have taken a look into her eyes at that very moment, they would have seen both the hatred and the delight.
"Are you all right?" she asked Zebi who had grabbed her clothes together but forgot to put them on.
She had been too busy trying to convince her brain that what her eyes were seeing was real. She did a step backwards with each step Shezu did towards her.
"W-What did you do to it?" she asked, her voice shaking.
"What are you?"
She had seen it. They had all seen it. They knew that apart from her descent from two different races that she was no ordinary girl. They had seen that she murdered the animal using some kind of invisible force. They had heard the stories from Fri'kaya about evil spirits and began to wonder if this girl was still carrying a trace inside her of one of those evil entities. How else could she be capable of such things?
"I'm just a girl like you" Shezu tried to salvage the situation.
"I wanted to save you. I wanted to save us all."
"Get away from me" Zebi said, trying to use whatever means necessary to get away from the crossbreed girl.
One of the boys from her tribe grabbed her arm and pulled her away from her.
"Please, I only wanted to help. You were in danger."
But it was of no use. She had tried to save them from a monster but in their eyes had become the monster itself because of the cruel display of her powers. The whole situation began to escalate at the moment as Wojé asked her new friend Reylyn what was going on. She didn't understand but feared the worst.
"Are you… Can you do things like that too?" she asked, flattening an ear, backing away from the Orketh girl in case she had those strange powers as well.
Reylyn's ears sagged and her eyes saddened. She was afraid to answer and had all the right to be. Her brother Jicko had warned her about the use of their abilities as the people believed in the existence of evil spirits and mistake them for being one. Jicko himself had overheard the conversation between Reylyn and Wojé.
"This is gonna get ugly" he thought to himself.
He was desperately racking his brains for a solution to this problem but without success.
"Yeah" Reylyn said softly, watching Wojé do step back as she confirmed the young girl's fears.
"I hope that's not a problem. I won't hurt you."
"You are possessed" the girl brought out in shock.
"Fri'kaja warned us about you. You are all possessed by evil demons."
"No, please listen to me" Jicko said, trying not to scare them any further than they already were.
"We are children just like you. We just have a gift. We can make things move without touching them."
"No!" one of the older boys yelled.
He began guiding his friends to safety, back to the village before anything could happen to them. He was quite brave, Jicko thought, considering that the boy was convinced that they were possessed by evil spirits, yet he first ensured the safety of the others before backing away himself.
"You are evil. If we let ourselves trust you, you will kill us."
But before they could disappear into the forest and tell the others the news about their guests, the late help arrived in the form of the father of the boy who had gone to get help. He was a hunter judging by the paintings on his face and two other hunters had joined him. One of these other two was a male, with a thick pointy spear in his right hand, an excellent short range weapon and even better in the hand of a good thrower. It was the other one however that made the hearts of Jicko and the rest skip a few beats. The large decorated longbow, a poison-tipped arrow on the string was held by no one less than Arojah, the cranky female hunter they had met earlier today. She was scanning the environment, cocking her ears to hear what her eyes couldn't see. This Mantrinesse was dangerous and wouldn't hesitate to shoot.
"What is wrong?" the father of the boy asked with his deep tenor voice.
"Is anyone hurt?"
Arojah had already spotted the dead Vexathyr and snorted with disappointment at the sight. She lowered her bow for now but left the arrow on the string, in case she happened to miss something, which was highly unlikely of course.
"No" Wojé whimpered.
There was a monster coming from the forest and, it wanted to eat Zebi.
"Well, how did you kill it?" the hunter asked, genuinely astonished when he spotted the dead predator.
They were just children, there was no way they could have killed a Vexathyr all by themselves and without weapons.
"She… she did something" Zebi wailed, wrapping an arm around the Mantrin's left leg, pointing at Shezu.
"She killed the beast without even touching it. She is possessed by a dark spirit. All of them. Don't let them hurt me."
The gifted children all recoiled in fear, when the hunters narrowed their eyes and flattened their ears in their neck. Arojah's bow had suddenly found itself a new target and the tip of the arrow was now pointing in the middle of the small group of children trying to find safety by each other. The female Sogowan hunter smirked almost evilly, a deep low growl coming from her throat.
"Please don't hurt us" Jicko begged.
"We are no demons. We're just children. There's no evil inside us."
"The evil the Shaman spoke off are masters of deception. We cannot trust our eyes and we must therefore trust Kirliya into making the right decision" Yshtari's father said.
Arojah pulled the string of her bow, ready to launch her arrow and find out if she made the right decision the hard way. She was about to release the deadly projectile until the boy's father put the weight of his hand on top of her weapon, lowering it.
"I am not sure about this. We will take you back to the village and then the Shaman will decide about you with the help of the First Warrior. If you are who you claim to be then you will live with us for as long as you want. If you are not…"
He lowered his voice even further, speaking slowly and threatening.
"…then the body of the child you possess will be executed and burned. You shall be driven out and pay for taking the live of these innocent children."
The hunters had been sharply watching them as they walked the small distance back to the village of the Trunali tribe. None of the children wanted to think about what would happen if Fri'kaja was convinced that they were all possessed by an evil spirit. They were sharing their thoughts using their psychic abilities, because no one dared to say something under the threatening look of Arojah, whose fingers were lightly tapping on the flexible wood of her hunting bow.
"What do we do now?" Reylyn asked.
"I'm scared."
Jicko was preparing himself to speak to Ayi'kutan directly. The Chief would likely be the one asking the questions. There was one small chance but it was better than nothing. Kenagi was currently the only one who knew about their special powers but he was not sure if the teenage boy could make a difference. He was their friend but if the rest of his tribe was convinced that they were evil, than he doubted the young hunter could change their minds.
"I'll speak to them" he said to the others mentally.
"I've done it before. Maybe Kenagi can help us."
"Help us? He would probably think we have betrayed him" Syndar replied.
"He's our only chance. I have to try."
When arrived back into the village, almost the entire tribe was waiting around the fires. The children of the tribe, who had stayed far away from them ever since someone suggested that they were possessed ran into the arms of their worried parents.
"Wojé" her mother said, lifting her daughter off the ground, cradling the sobbing girl in her arms.
"Are you all right sweetheart?"
"Yes mommy" the girl replied, touching her beak to her mother's.
Her father brought his face closer to his daughter's and comforted her by licking her cheek. All children ran back to their parents, spreading the disturbing news about their young guests amongst the entire tribe. By the time Shezu and her brothers and sisters arrived at the center of the village, there wasn't a single member left who didn't know. Had they seemed friendly when they left to play in the forest with the rest of the children, their faces were now a mixture of fear and anger. Forced by Arojah's bow, she just loved to point in their direction they found themselves standing in the almost complete circle of tribe members. Cowering under their looks, they stood as closely together as they could. Reylyn was so scared that she buried her face in her sister's chest and wrapped her arms so tightly around Shezu's middle that she was afraid her sister would break her in two. Ayi'kutan who felt responsible for the well-being of his tribe stepped forward, taking a threatening position. He was breathing heavily through his nose and it was as if he didn't know what to do with them. His already thin trust had been damaged severely and he didn't seem very forgiving. But the worst thing was to face Kenagi. When Jicko's eyes found his, he felt an enormous feeling of guilt which seemed to come out of nowhere. The disappointment was dripping from his face. He opened his beak as if he were about to say something but merely heaved a sigh, slowly shaking his head. After what seemed like ages, Ayi'kutan spoke but it wasn't directed at the frightened group of children in front of him.
"Quick, go and get Fri'kaja!"
That was to be expected but when the Shaman arrived she was shocked, astounded to find the reason Ayi'kutan called for her. She stumbled something indistinct when someone informed her about the situation.
"What do you want from us?" Ayi'kutan suddenly asked.
His voice didn't sound friendly anymore. There was a hint of fear but the tone sounded angry and threatening. One wrong word and that arrow, still on the string of Arojah's bow would find itself a target. Jicko timidly stepped out of the group, his ears lowered, afraid to speak. He stumbled in his speech when he started talking and tears were welling up in his eyes as he did.
"Please, we are just children. We never had the intention of hurting anyone."
"That's not what I asked" the Chief grumbled, crossing his arms.
"What do you want from us?"
"Nothing. We just wanted a place to stay. If it hadn't been for your son, those soldiers would have taken us."
"Yes, I think I'm beginning to understand why they were chasing you."
Jicko's hearts skipped a few beats, when he heard the string of Arojah's bow tensing further. For a moment he closed his eyes, fearing that it would be over soon but the moment passed and he was still standing. He forced himself to look up and defend himself.
"No, it's not what you think" he said, shaking his head.
"We are not possessed. Our father always told us that we were special. We can do certain… things, other people can't. It's complicated. That's why they were after us; because they are afraid of our abilities. They wanna kill us."
Ayi'kutan's face twisted, thinking it over.
"You're lying" he replied slowly.
"If the things I heard are true then your body must have been taken over by an evil presence, a demon. No child of Kirliya can do such things."
"No please" Jicko begged.
"Let me explain. For example, the reason why we can understand each other? That's because I'm using my gift. To make my words understandable to you and your people and the other way around."
"You are in my mind right now?" Arojah growled.
"He is a demon. I'll make an end to this."
"Arojah no!" Ayi'kutan yelled.
But it was too late. The string of the bow snapped, the arrow covering the distance to its target in a fraction of a second. Until, just a few centimeters from Jicko's body, it came to a halt in midair. The Talocaan boy had never felt his hearts beating as fast as they did now. Holding the arrow, its sharp tip shining in the light of the downing sun, was Shezu, having the dangerous projectile trapped into an invisible field of psychic energy, bringing its speed down to zero. Reylyn who had seen it happen, had let go of her in an instant, the only sound coming from her beak a soft squeak. It was almost as if the girl was about to faint. The entire tribe and most of all, Arojah herself, was staring at her in astonishment.
"It is true" Fri'kaya said incredulously, her beak falling open.
They did have special powers and they weren't possessed. Their eyes weren't pitch black or fiery red, as the stories told and didn't appear as if they were gonna cause any harm. But even if they were, her tribe was too astounded to do something. Letting her arms fall beside her body, the energy field disappeared and Shezu allowed herself to breathe normally again. The arrow dropped harmlessly to the ground, where it fell into the soft grass. It was almost completely silent, except for the soft crackling of the fire and the wind blowing through the rustling leaves of the trees.
"I can't believe my eyes" Ayi'kutan said slowly.
"Fri'kaya, what do you think? Are their evil spirits at work here?"
"Oh, don't be ridiculous!" Oywelu snarled.
"If that were true, they would have ended all our lives a long time ago."
She left her space between the members of her tribe and sunk through her knees in front of the children.
"Please forgive us" she said with her warm voice.
"You made us believe that you were not who you appear to be. We were wrong."
"We're sorry" Jicko said softly, placing his head on her soft belly.
"We should have told you. But we were afraid to."
Oywelu gently rubbed between the boy's ears and soon found herself being surrounded and hugged by all children looking for comfort. Fri'kaja walked up to her and looked at each child individually, smiling.
"There is no evil in these children. They just have a very special gift. A gift given to them by Kirliya."
The entire tribe heaved a shared sigh of relief under the Shaman's words. This was actually a cause for delight. The tribe had the honor to have these special guests among them. Ayi'kutan offered his apologies which the children accepted. He was only trying to protect his people from harm. They couldn't blame him for that. Kenagi stepped forward and wanted to apologize too.
"I'm… sorry guys. For a moment I thought…"
"That's okay" Jicko said before he could say more.
"You did what was best for your people."
Kenagi nodded, glad that their friendship didn't suffer because of these strange developments. He turned to his mother, telling her what he wanted to tell her a few days ago, which he didn't because he trusted the children that they would tell his tribe about their powers themselves one day.
"You knew about this?" Oywelu asked more than a little surprised, flattening an ear.
"From the moment they arrived here" her son replied, with a look on the children.
"Jicko showed it to me that first night. I wanted to give them the chance to tell it themselves."
"I believe you did the right thing with that Kenagi."
Reylyn noticed Wojé standing next to her, hiding her claws behind her back, staring at the ground.
"I'm sorry for what I said to you" she said softly.
"Do you still wanna be my friend?"
The hug she received when Reylyn flung her arms around her neck answered her question. The Orketh girl was sweet and forgiving and Wojé was glad about that.
"Of course" Reylyn said happily, when she released her.
Against all odds, even Arojah offered her apology to the group, especially Jicko albeit reluctantly.
"Please, forgive me" she said.
Even if she tried to be nice she grumbled but the children understood the underlying message.
"If it hadn't been for your sister, I would have killed you. A mere child."
"I-I understand" Jicko replied.
"You are a hunter and a warrior. You were only trying to protect your tribe."
Something that in her case resembled a faint smile appeared on Arojah's painted face. She even gave him a rub between his ears, a little rough but still. He felt like a huge load just dropped from his shoulders. They didn't have to keep their gift a secret anymore. This village had just become their home and its people their family and they had accepted them as they were.